Taking Refuge

Shenshan
was mending clothes with a needle and thread. Dongshan asked, “What are you
doing?”

Shenshan
said, “Mending.”

Dongshan
asked, “How are you mending?”

Shenshan
said, “One stitch is like the next.”

Dongshan
exclaimed, “We’ve been traveling together for twenty years now, and you can
still say such a thing! How can you be so dense?”

Shenshan
asked, “OK, then, how do you mend?”

Dongshan
said, “As if the whole earth were spewing flames.”

Taking Refuge

In most Buddhist traditions, taking the Buddhist Precepts
includes the Three Refuge Vows, Three Pure Vows, and the Ten Bodhisattva Vows, though they are sometimes named differently.
As a shorthand reference, we call the year-long preparation that leads up to the ceremony of vows, Taking Refuge. Preparation includes studying the precepts in a group setting, composing personal responses to each vow, sewing a rakusu (also known as a kesa, or Buddha's robe), receiving a dharma name and inscription on the back of the rakusu from your teacher, and participating in the Refuge Ceremony.

In the way of the Mahayana, the vows serve as a bridge to enter into life more fully, rather than the more commonly understood
Theravadin approach, as a prohibition against certain actions or as a way of
remaining pure.

At a certain point in Zen practice the issue of integrity arises and we begin to consider how it would be if we viewed wisdom and compassion as the central compass point in our life. In taking refuge our usual wandering about comes to a close and the journey of wandering about in earnest, begins. Hakuin's clear words can point the way, "Here effect and cause are the same; the Way is neither two nor three; with form that is no form, going and coming, we are never astray; with thought that is no thought singing and dancing are the voice of the Law."

In meditation we discover that we’re hitched to each
other, even to the so-called inanimate things, the clouds and rocks and
mountains. Taking the Refuge Vows is a way of honoring this indivisible
connection, deciding to be in the world, in the midst of life, with the
realization that our actions are important. William Stafford, in his poem, Being a Person, expresses the quality of how it is to choose to be here in earnest.

Be a
person here. Stand by the river, invoke

the
owls. Invoke winter, then spring.

Let
any season that wants to come here make its own

call.
After that sound goes away, wait.

A
slow bubble rises through the earth

and
begins to include sky, stars, all space,

even
the outracing, expanding thought.

Come
back and hear the little sound again.

Suddenly
this dream that you are having matches

everyone’s
dream, and the result is the world.

If a
different call came there wouldn’t be any

world,
or you, or the river, or the owls calling.

How
you stand here is important. How you

listen
for the next things to happen. How you breathe.

Keeping the vows is of course impossible from the start. But we take the vows nonetheless. That's the deal, we vow to take on this impossible thing and that becomes an interesting thing in itself. To eat a slice of bacon, or even a carrot or a leaf of lettuce, is taking life, so there's really no getting around that. The gatha, or prayer, we say before each meal acknowledges this truth.

We honor the three treasuresand are grateful for this foodthe work of many handsand the sacrifice of other life.The vow of not killing might be kept through noticing our tendency to kill another person's speech or thought by interrupting them before they are through speaking. When we view the vows in this expanded way we can find that it is more about taking the time to notice where life is rather than imposing prohibitions on life. Then we naturally refrain from killing, all we had to do was notice. When we bring the spirit of the vow into any activity, that's keeping the vow. Not judging or forming opinions about how well we or others keep the vows is also staying true to the spirit of the task. We can’t keep a vow from a distant or separate stance, or from within an idea
or concept, we have to live it to see it through. Living vows may pose themselves as questions or koans that accompany us during our daily actions. Ultimately, there's no way to know whether we're making the right move or not, life is far more subtle and mysterious for such easy conclusions. But we can notice that as we bring others into our awareness and act from that recognition, we may start having fewer complaints about our circumstances and that some of our usual forms of suffering has ended. That's something.Acknowledging our
connectedness through our choices and our actions is the Bodhisattva Path.

THE
THREE REFUGE VOWS

1)
I take refuge in Buddha

I take refuge in awakening

2)
I take refuge in Dharma

I take refuge in the Way

3)
I take refuge in Sangha

I take refuge in my companions

THE
THREE PURE VOWS

1)
I vow to do no harm

This
is the cave where the teachings of all the Buddhas have their source.

2)
I vow to do good

This
is the way of perfect enlightenment, and the path that everyone walks.

3)
I vow to do good for others

This
is going beyond any distinction between ordinary and awakened people, freeing
yourself and others.

THE
STORY OF BIRD’S NEST ROSHI

The
teacher got his name because he often meditated in a tree. One day an eminent
man paid him a visit and exclaimed, “That’s a dangerous seat you have up
there!”

“Yours
is more dangerous than mine,” said Bird’s Nest.

The
visitor said, “I’m the governor of this province, and I don’t see what danger
there is in that.”

Bird’s
Nest responded, “Then, sir, you don’t know yourself very well. When passions
burn and the mind is unsteady, this is the greatest danger.”

The
governor then asked, “Well, what does Buddhism teach?”

Bird’s
Nest recited the verse from the Dhammapada:

Do
no harm

Do
all good

Do
good for others

This
is the teaching of all the Buddhas

The
governor was not impressed: “Any three-year-old child knows that.”

Bird’s
Nest said, “Any three-year-old child may know it, but even an eighty-year-old
has a hard time doing it.”

THE
TEN BODHISATTVA VOWS

Here
are some things that the ancestors teach us cause harm to others and ourselves
when we do them. We look at these vows in the negative form (it’s good not to
kill), and in the positive form (it’s good to support life). The negative form
takes the shape of a protector or worthy adversary who helps us put delusion to
rest; the positive form has the shape of an advisor or benefactor who opens the
path we hadn’t conceived of before. Bodhidharma’s and Dogen’s commentaries
follow each vow.

1)
I vow not to kill

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is
eternal, not having thoughts of taking life is called the Vow of Not Killing.

The
Buddha’s seed grows when you don’t take life. Pass on the life of the Buddha’s
wisdom and do not kill.

2)
I vow not to steal

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is
unattainable, not having thoughts about gaining is called the Vow of Not
Stealing.

Just
as they are, you and the things of the world are one. The gate to freedom is
open.

3)
I vow not to misuse sex

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is
unadorned, not creating a veneer of attachment is called the Vow of Not
Misusing Sex.

The
Three Wheels of yourself, others, and your actions are pure. When you have
nothing to desire, you follow the way of all Buddhas.

4)
I vow not to lie

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is
inexplicable, not preaching a single word is called the Vow of Not Lying.

The
Dharma Wheel turns from the beginning. There is never too much or too little.
Everything is wet with dew and the truth is ready to harvest.

5)
I vow not to misuse intoxicants

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is
naturally pure, not surrendering to delusions is called the Vow of Not Misusing Intoxicants.

Inebriation has not been brought in yet. Don’t bring it in! That is the great light.

6)
I vow not to gossip maliciously

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is flawless,
not expounding upon error is called the Vow of Not Gossiping Maliciously.

In
the Buddha Way, there is one path, one teaching, one realization, one practice.
Don’t speak carelessly. Don’t find fault.

7)
I vow not to put myself above others

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world of the Dharma of equals,
not insisting upon I and you is called the Vow of Not Putting Yourself Above Others.

Buddhas
and Ancestors realize the vast sky and the great earth. When they appear in
their noble body, their vastness has no inside or outside. When they appear in
their true body, there is not even a bit of earth on the ground.

8)
I vow not to spare the Dharma assets

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is everywhere,
not being stingy about a single thing is called the Vow of Not Sparing the Dharma Assets.

One
phrase, one verse: that is the ten thousand things and one hundred grasses. One
teaching, one realization: that is all the Buddhas and Ancestors. From the
beginning, there has been no hardheartedness at all.

9)
I vow not to indulge in anger

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is
selfless, not contriving reality for yourself is called the Vow of Not Indulging in Anger.

Not
advancing, not withdrawing, not real, not unreal. There is an ocean of bright
clouds. There is an ocean of solemn clouds.

10)
I vow not to disparage the Buddha, Dharma or Sangha

The
way things are is subtle and mysterious. In a world where the Dharma is one,
not holding dualistic thoughts about ordinary beings and sages is called the Vow of not Disparaging the Three Treasures.

The
teisho of the actual body is the harbor and the weir. This is the most important
thing in the world. Its virtue finds its home in the ocean of essential nature.
It is beyond explanation—we just accept it with respect and gratitude.

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We hold our retreats at St. Dorothy’s Rest in Camp Meeker at Lydia House, a magnificent old stone building with a hardwood floor in the main zendo and stunning views. It’s surrounded in redwoods and mist, hiking trails, and includes wonderful handmade vegetarian meals, hearthside evening dharma talks, and an afternoon of brush calligraphy practice. There are a few full-time and part-time spaces still available. Contact:gbrandt@sonic.net